Lifestyle Factors Behind Missed Periods: What to Change and When to Test

Is Your Lifestyle Affecting Your Menstrual Cycle?

Missing your period can be worrying. In the UK, common reasons for amenorrhoea (absent periods) often relate to lifestyle:

• High stress from work, family, or school
• Excessive exercise – especially endurance training
• Strict diets or rapid weight changes

Here’s what you need to know.

How Does Stress or Diet Cause Missed Periods?

Stress increases cortisol, which can disrupt your brain’s usual hormone signals to the ovaries, causing your periods to stop. Similarly, insufficient calories or dramatic weight loss signal your body to conserve energy, slowing hormone production. Over-exercising can have a similar effect.

What Home Changes Help Restore Your Cycle?

• Eat regular meals with carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats
• Include iron-rich foods (e.g. leafy greens, beans, lean meat)
• Reduce high-intensity exercise and allow adequate recovery time
• Prioritise stress management daily
• Stay hydrated and avoid fad diets

Many UK women find their periods return within a few months of restoring balance to their routine.

When is Home Blood Testing the Right Choice?

If you have gone three months or longer without a period and lifestyle changes haven’t helped, a Home Amenorrhoea Hormone Profile Blood Test Kit from Mayfield Clinic can uncover hormone imbalances or rule out conditions like PCOS or thyroid problems. Our finger-prick test is easy to use at home, with next-day results.

Prefer a face-to-face approach? Book an in-person blood test with a GP at Mayfield Clinic.

Take Charge of Your Reproductive Health

If you’re unsure what’s causing your missed periods, start with simple changes but don’t hesitate to seek clarity. Order your home test kit today or book a GP appointment here.

Get more background at NHS: Stress, Anxiety and Depression.